Electronic structure and absorption spectra of biferrocenyl and bisfulvalenide diiron radical cations: detection and assignment of new low-energy transitions.

UV-visible/near-IR (NIR)/mid-IR (MIR) solution, solid-state, and matrix-isolation electronic absorption spectra of the Fe(II)-Fe(III) mixed-valent homobimetallic compounds biferrocenyl triiodide (1) and 1',1'''-diethylbiferrocenyltriiodide (2) reveal the presence of a low-energy transition in the MIR region that has not been reported before. The new absorption feature and the known NIR band are both assigned to intervalence charge-transfer (IVCT) transitions. To obtain insight into the electronic structures of 1 and 2, DFT calculations with the BP86 functionals and different basis sets have been performed. Based on the molecular orbital scheme of cation 1, one band corresponds to the transition between the highest occupied d(x(2)-y(2)) orbitals on the two iron centers, whereas the other one is assigned to a transition from a lower-lying d(z(2)) orbital to the d(x(2)-y(2)) orbital. For comparison, the doubly bridged bisfulvalenide diiron cation (3) has been investigated by optical absorption spectroscopy and DFT calculations. The experimental and theoretical results are discussed with respect to the degree of electron localization/delocalization in these systems.